Book VIII of The Protector
by Anmras
Summary: A village is attacked by the Gangs of Rohan and Legolas puts himself to work. However, can he really defeat such a dangerous enemy? Or has it all been just a dream...
1. Chapter 22

I got the next book done a lot quicker then I thought I would, so here it is!  
  
@ Deana - Well, not necessarily kidnapping... good guess though!  
  
@ Estelisminegoaway - Updating as mush as I can. I have an exam tomorrow so I should probably be studying... OWELL!  
  
BTW, there is actually some HAPPINESS in this book? What? No, of course it's not impossible, although it may seem that way!  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Legolas snapped awake to the slapping on his face. Something suddenly closed over his mouth. His eyes snapped open, but his vision was blurry. He tried to say something but his voice was muffled.  
  
'Please, Legolas, you must be quiet!' said a familiar voice. Legolas's vision swam in and out of focus and he caught a glimpse of the person that faced him.  
  
It was Redd. His eyes seemed dim and his voice hoarse, but it was definitely him. He slowly removed his hand from Legolas's mouth. Legolas started to sit up and rubbed his forehead, where there was now a great bump and a good deal of pain.  
  
'What did you hit me for?' he groaned.  
  
'That's not important!' he said. 'We have to get out of here!'  
  
'Why?' he asked. All he wanted to do was rest. There was a nasty stitch in his side still and his shoulder looked exactly the same. He realized the room was dark. He looked around, but the only light came from a broken window. The orangey glow reflected off the pieces of glass on the floor. A scream rung out in the night air. 'What's going on?' he asked. He stood not waiting for a response and headed over to the window.  
  
Outside several buildings were burning. A group of children sat quietly in the shadows, trembling and weeping. The scream repeated and Legolas could see a woman running from about four gang members.  
  
Without thinking, he scanned his room for all his things. He grabbed his sword and bow, blowgun and arrows. He almost stormed out of the room, leaving Redd thinking that they were leaving the attack behind and fleeing somewhere where it was safe.  
  
One part of the inn seemed to be on fire, Legolas and Redd choked on the smoke.  
  
'Most of the people are gone!' cried Redd over what sounded like an explosion. The ground trembled underneath their feet and Legolas darted outside.  
  
A young boy suddenly ran into him. He looked up at him for a moment, his eyes wide with fear. Legolas put his hands on his shoulder and the child clutched his pants. Following the boy were two gang members with knives.  
  
'Not this one!' growled Legolas. He pulled out his blade that glowed brighter then the flames. Streams of it made everything around him gray and white shadows. Redd and stared in awe as the boy looked away. With a countenance of great fury, Legolas sidestepped forward and swiped. In a single swing he had beheaded both men.  
  
'Come on!' Redd cried as a building somewhere collapsed. Legolas ignored him and began to walk down the smoking street, his glowing blade in hand. Redd followed, leaving the boy to fend for himself. He stepped in front of Legolas. 'We have to get away from here!'  
  
'No!' protested Legolas. 'I can't leave!'  
  
'What are you talking about?' asked Redd, unable to comprehend why Legolas was acting this way. 'They'll take you back if they catch you! They're burning this town looking for you!'  
  
'I know.' replied Legolas. 'They've caught me already, but I managed to get away. I can't let these people die because they're looking for me! I have to protect them!' he pushed pass Redd and stepped further into town.  
  
'Wait!' Redd called as he grabbed Legolas's tunic. 'They came to our house looking for you! The kids got away but Fallon and I got caught! And... and...' it may have been from the smoke in the air, but Redd's eyes looked like they were watering. Legolas stared in shock, then his face changed to sympathy.  
  
'It's my fault.' he said to Redd as he couldn't think of what they had done to Fallon. Fallon who had helped him and cared for him like she was his own mother... 'Redd...' Redd blinked away his tears and looked up at him. 'I can't let that happen again. I can't let the innocent die because they can't find me.' Redd sniffed and sighed.  
  
'I'll... I'll fight with you.'  
  
'No! You have kids to worry about that you still have to take care of.' said Legolas. 'I need you to go to the west end of town. Tell anyone I send there to go to the river while I get rid of the gangs here. They should be safe there. I'll be back by dawn, and if not...' he drifted off for a moment, thinking suddenly of Elenest's expression should he come home dead. 'Then help them best you can.' Redd nodded.  
  
'We'll be waiting for you.' he said as he took one step back. 'Be careful.' Legolas nodded and bolted off into the hot smoke, his blade still glowing brightly.  
  
.  
  
Sorry for the insanely short chapter, but I'll have a real long one tomorrow! PROMISE! 


	2. Chapter 23

Chapter 23  
  
Redd took the boy away from town and told him to continue halfway towards the river.  
  
'I'm going to send some people down there soon, and you need to keep them going. Can you do that?' the boy nodded, but there was fear in his eyes. He ran down towards the trees that lined the river. Redd faced the town.  
  
The fires lit his face and cast shadows behind him. He had seen buildings burn and people die before. He had seen innocent children killed and mothers tortured. Yet, this burn in front of him seemed to mean something more... although it was no different then the rest.  
  
*  
  
Legolas pressed his back against the building. The one on the other side of the alley was smoldering and had collapsed. Legolas peered around the corner to see a gang member bring his hand down on a man. He drew an arrow and fired silently. The gang member was still for a moment then turned to see him. Legolas fired again and this time he fell to the ground.  
  
Legolas went and helped the man up. He tried to ask if he was all right, but the sound of the building that was smoldering crashing down drowned out all other sounds.  
  
'Who are you?' the man asked.  
  
'Nobody! At the west end of town you'll see a man waiting for you. He'll get you where it's safe!'  
  
'No! I need to find my wife and child!'  
  
'I'll find them! I'll make sure they get to you!' Legolas pushed the man in the direction where he himself has come from. A hot wind suddenly hit Legolas and he looked around. He could see fires in the sky and heard a violent bang. Screams erupted and Legolas ducked back down the alley to reach the other street. He came to a flaming bale and leapt over it without slowing down.  
  
In the next street everything was on fire. Ten gang members surrounded many villagers, some holding small blades and such. There were children in the crowd, clutching the clothes of their elders and weeping loudly. One of the gang members approached a young girl with brown locks and a singed dress. He grabbed her by the arm and began to pull her aside.  
  
Legolas's arrow flew through the air and hit the man straight in the face. He fell to the ground silently. All heads turned towards him. He had his blade drawn and it glowed brighter then it ever had. The gang members cried out and stumbled backwards. Some attacked blindly while the villagers cringed in fear. Legolas swung at them with all his might. All his pain seemed to be washed away. He struck down the men in masks and spilled the blood of the evil ones.  
  
Finally his blade began to meet with other swords but the attacks were made blindly. Soon, all the gang members had fallen. Legolas put away his blade and spotted the villagers gazing at him. The silence was broken by a violent crash. Legolas looked to see a flaming beam fall over the alleyway opening where he had just come from. Sparks flew everywhere and he shielded his eyes. The street was narrow and littered with dead bodies. One of the children screamed and fell down. Legolas immediately kneeled beside her and started to bat the hem of her dress which had caught fire. Her leg was burned slightly, showing off a red glossy surface. He looked up at the rest of them.  
  
'I can show you all a way out! Follow me!' the people didn't ask questions and all followed him down the street. Legolas wasn't looking ahead, but to his left for an alley that wasn't burning. He was holding the little girl tightly as she wept silently on her shoulder.  
  
About three minutes into a smoky walk he found one. He handed the girl to another man and began to push them through. They all emerged on the other side, the wider street with the fewer flaming buildings. Legolas could see the inn, part of the building collapsed and burning brightly. He shuddered as he thought of the maid who had led him to a room.  
  
Legolas sent them to the end of town through the smoke where Redd would be waiting for him, then he turned back into the smoke and flames.  
  
His eyes were watering and his chest in pain from the smoke. He wanted the air to clear and for him to be able to see.  
  
He then remembered that when he pulled his blade out in the forest the fog had retreated away from him. Legolas pulled out his blade again and it lit up the village around him. The smoke fell away and he continued on, the blade held up like a torch. His lungs felt cleared and his eyes could see again.  
  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone checked him aside against a building. Flaming pieces of thatched roof fell and Legolas rolled away. A sword appeared to swipe at him, and he rolled further away. He blocked a stab and leapt to his feet. Another swipe came at him. He blocked and grabbed the gang member's wrist. He banged his head against his. The man stumbled for a moment and fell backwards. Legolas was about to plunge his blade in the man's heart when he pleaded:  
  
'Please! No!' he said pitifully. 'Don't kill me, please! I didn't mean it! I just did it to save her! To save Saerin!' Legolas's eyes widened.  
  
'What?' he asked. The man took off his mask.  
  
'They made me do it, or else they would kill Saerin! I never wanted to kill anybody, I swear it!'  
  
'But you still killed them.' snarled Legolas.  
  
'Yes, but... please let me go! I want to se Saerin again! I must see her!' Legolas tightened his grip on his blade but didn't move. The man slowly removed his mask to reveal the face of a young man, probably no older then fifteen!  
  
'Your... your...' Legolas was at a loss for words. He was just a boy still and at a loss for decent guidance. He was a victim of the threats of the gangs. Legolas finally brought his blade back to his side. 'Go see your Saerin.' he said. 'But if I ever see you kill someone, I won't be as merciful.' the man scrambled to his feet and ran away.  
  
As though nothing has ever happened, Legolas continued into the town.  
  
*  
  
Redd was exhausted. He had been talking nonstop to the continuous stream of people that came from the town. The sun was beginning to rise against a dark red sky. Redd had spent the entire night trying to get Legolas out of town unseen and helping people down the river. Many were injured, some already doomed to their fate.  
  
Wherever Legolas was in there he was constantly sending people out. Occasionally, one would come out of town from a different place and join the caravan that made their way down to the river.  
  
By the time the sun had half-risen, most of the fires had burned themselves out. The stream of people thinned until finally two people ended the line.  
  
'Have you seen the man with the glowing blade?' he asked them. They shook there heads. Redd looked at the town with worried eyes. He waited there until the sun was completely up and the fires had stopped burning.  
  
Legolas hadn't come back.  
  
.  
  
How'd you like the action in that chapter? I think it was one of the best so far, with a little bit of a cliffie at the end! BTW, do you guys ever recognize the songs I use? Just wondering 'cause I tend to use recent ones instead of oldies (save for Book II;) 


	3. Chapter 24

The song in this chapter is by CRUSH and is called King for a Day. I'm just a recent fan of this song, but I thought it fitted this chapter pretty well.  
  
@ Deana - No worries! Legolas will pull through!  
  
.  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Redd headed down the rest of the hill to the riverbank. Villagers were all either sleeping on the grass or trying to find the rest of their family. The group must've stretch down the bank about half a mile. Redd watched a mother search and find her child, embracing him and crying.  
  
There was hardly anyone alone at all. They were all in groups, obviously their families, and smiling and crying. From the looks of things, Legolas did a pretty thorough job and there weren't many casualties.  
  
'Legolas.' he whispered to himself. He looked back up the hill to see the smoke rising in the air. Maybe he's safe; maybe he's just checking the town for more people.  
  
He waited until the sun was raised high into the sky straight above them. Redd knew that he wasn't alive, but he didn't want to think that. He had saved so many people and he there was so much left to do. Tell the villagers who he was, tell them they can rebuild, maybe help them rebuild before going off again.  
  
Then Redd thought of his children. He missed them more the anything and realized he couldn't stay away from them for long. He would have to leave soon. He felt just like Legolas who had left his home and family behind. He wondered how Legolas could stay away from his home for so long. Redd found himself wiping a tear from his eye.  
  
He felt as though he had lost everything. Fallon was dead, his children far away, and Legolas gone. Resting his face in his hands and falling to his knees he began to cry. He ignored all the noises around him, only able to hear a faint ringing.  
  
'There he is!'  
  
'It's him!'  
  
Redd ignored the cries that escaped into his hearing. People began to run by him, yelling and calling. Redd sniffed and finally looked over his shoulder.  
  
Coming down the hill where the path had been trodden was a person with short blonde hair. Redd's mouth fell open and he stood up. The man had a sheath at his side, as well as an elven quiver and bow. He smiled at the people that ran up to him. He was soon bowled over by two children who embraced him.  
  
~I'm fresh out of regret,~  
  
~Smoked my last cigarette,~  
  
~Down to the very end,~  
  
~Like it was a cure.~  
  
Redd yelled and began to run up to him. The children seemed to be crying as well, both young boys. Redd pulled one of them off. Sure enough, Legolas was there laughing on the ground. His tunic was burned and his quiver empty, but Redd had never seen him so happy.  
  
~My head's turned upside-down,~  
  
~Smiling like a party clown,~  
  
Legolas took Redd's hand and was pulled to his feet. The children were smiling and praising him:  
  
'You saved me mum and little sister!'  
  
'You saved all my family and helped me escape!' Someone offered Legolas a drink, and he took it. His dire thirst was quenched and he felt very relieved.  
  
~Can't get this coffee down,~  
  
~It's quarter to four.~  
  
Redd smiled at Legolas and patted him on the back.  
  
'Your fans await.' he said to him. Legolas smiled back.  
  
'Thank you.' he said to him. Redd laughed.  
  
'Thank you!' he replied.  
  
~I don't want to go on about it,~  
  
~But how the hell can I live without it?~  
  
Legolas looked down the riverbank. He took a deep breath of the fresh air. Before him were children, mothers and fathers. All of them were smiling up at him.  
  
'What's your name?' someone cried out.  
  
~I can see for miles around,~  
  
~Oh, for crying out loud.~  
  
~Every face in the crowd,~  
  
~Was looking at us.~  
  
Legolas looked at Redd, then back at the crowd.  
  
'My name is Fermanir!' he called out. Silence followed for a moment, then:  
  
'Hail Fermanir! Hail Fermanir the Protector!'  
  
~Sweet amazing grace,~  
  
~Every time, every space,~  
  
~Everything in it's place,~  
  
~Like I was king for a day.~  
  
Legolas and Redd headed down into the riot of cheers, that parted and immediately handed him goods salvaged from the town. Furs, drinks and little pieces of jewelry.  
  
~Now through this window pane,~  
  
~There's no-one left to blame.~  
  
Legolas spent a lot of that day taking thank yous, praise and gifts. He was modest about it, but the villagers pressed the glory on him so hard that he couldn't help but smile. One older man even offered his daughter's hand, but Legolas politely declined and gave the young woman one of his pieces of jewelry.  
  
~But then it's all the same,~  
  
~As long as she shows that,~  
  
~Face like a beauty queen,~  
  
~Straight from a magazine.~  
  
~Swear she's always been the last to know that.~  
  
At last, the sun was setting and people were beginning to set up camps by the river. Legolas began to decline the gifts, knowing that he wouldn't be able to carry even half of what he now had. He would take all the food, maybe some of the trinkets to pay people with, and the cloths that he had been offered; lovely dress tunics of blues, yellows and whites and two pairs of tough leather boots.  
  
Redd came to Legolas in the early evening.  
  
'A tent has been set up for you right by the river. They want you to stay and protect them.' he said. Legolas could see a spot of pride in his eyes, but he didn't smile.  
  
'I can't stay here.' he said. 'I'm not done.' Redd looked confused for a moment, then nodded in understanding.  
  
'At least stay for the night. They need you here now. You can't leave them yet.'  
  
'I know... yeah, all right. But only for the night.' Legolas said. Redd lead him to his tent, which was significantly bigger then the others. Inside was a makeshift bed of rich heavy furs and a soft, lovely mattress. Legolas wanted more then anything to lie down and sleep forever, but knew that the night would be shorter then he wanted.  
  
He would leave early in the morning with what he could carry. He had too. There were more people that needed him.  
  
~I don't want to go on without it,~  
  
~But how the hell can I live without it.~  
  
Legolas stepped back outside of the tent and saw three men approach him.  
  
'Do you like it?' one asked. 'Is it fitting?' Legolas smiled, then walked towards a stump right by the river.  
  
'Excuse me...' he said, clearing his throat the first few people in front of him looked at him. 'Excuse me!' he yelled over the crowd. Silence followed, save for the sound of crackling fires. 'Uh, hello. As you all know, I am Fermanir.' cheers erupted. Legolas's face began to feel hot. 'Yeah, well, I guess I helped you guys out a bit today.'  
  
'You saved us all!' a woman cried who was holding a young girl in a faded dress. More cheers.  
  
'Actually, I couldn't have done anything without the help of a good friend.' continued Legolas, looking down at Redd. 'But, I'm afraid I can't stay any more then one night.' The crowd began to whisper and cries of protest came to him.  
  
'You've given me more then I deserve.' he yelled among the talking. 'You've made a temporary home for me fit for a king, and I will gladly use it, but for one night only. I am needed elsewhere. Thank you all for your hospitality and praise, but I do have to go.'  
  
Legolas stepped down as questions hit him from the mouths of the people. Redd made sure nobody would enter the tent behind him. Soon, Redd had them all going to bed in their own tents or by their own fires. He then came into the tent and told Legolas he was sleeping in a tent right behind his. Legolas nodded as he flopped down on the bed.  
  
He slowly dressed down to his burnt leggings and curled up underneath the blanket. It felt like heaven to be able to sleep peacefully again.  
  
'Fermanir?' a small voice sounded from the door. Legolas sat straight up.  
  
Standing there, her hair wild and dress dirty, was the little girl in the faded dress.  
  
'Hello there!' said Legolas, unable to hide the exhaustion in his voice. 'Who are you?'  
  
The little girl remained silent, but walked towards him and crawled onto his bed. 'Why do you have to go?' she asked innocently. Legolas smiled.  
  
'Well, there are other people that need my help.' he said. 'I need to go protect them too.' the little girl then crawled onto his lap.  
  
'Thank you for saving my mommy and daddy.' she said, resting her head on his chest. Legolas smiled and put his hand on her head.  
  
'I would do it again any day.'  
  
~I can see for miles around,~  
  
~Oh, for crying out loud.~  
  
~Every face in the crowd,~  
  
~Was looking at us.~  
  
~Sweet amazing grace,~  
  
~Every time, every space,~  
  
~Everything in it's place,~  
  
~Like I was king for a day.~  
  
~...King for a day.~  
  
~Like I was King for a Day.~  
  
*  
  
Legolas woke up with the little girl under the covers right beside him. He got up silently and wrapped her up in a blanket. Her mother would be looking for her so Legolas was thankful that she had called out during his announcement so he knew where her tent was.  
  
After delivering her to her sleeping mother and father, Legolas crept back to his own tent and gathered his things. The sky was speckled with stars and the sun wouldn't rise for perhaps five hours.  
  
Legolas smiled at the memory of the little girl kissing him on the cheek and smiling at him. That made the whole thing, leaving home, coming near death and getting captured worth it.  
  
~...King for a day.~  
  
~I can see for miles around,~  
  
~Oh, for crying out loud.~  
  
~Every face in the crowd,~  
  
~Was looking at us.~  
  
~Sweet amazing grace,~  
  
~Every time, every space,~  
  
~Everything in it's place,~  
  
~Like I was king for a day.~  
  
'I would do it again any day.'  
  
~I can see for miles around,~  
  
~Oh, for crying out loud.~  
  
~Every face in the crowd,~  
  
~Was looking at us.~  
  
~Sweet amazing grace,~  
  
~Every time, every space,~  
  
~Everything in it's place,~  
  
~Like I was king for a day.~  
  
Legolas looked behind his tent to wake up Redd.  
  
~Like I was King for a Day.~  
  
~...King for a day.~  
  
~I was King.~  
  
There was no tent there.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
For all you SICK MINDED people out there, NOTHING happened between Legolas and that little girl! She just fell asleep in his bed like a daughter would to her dad. NOTHING SEXUAL HAPPENED!!!!!  
  
To all of those who had to read that and didn't think that at all... sorry! 


End file.
